Empty Promises
by Saffy2510
Summary: Continuation from Her Love Is Their Destruction. Stefan and Elena talk about their differences, and his relationship with Caroline.


**Hello again, how is everyone?**

**I know I'm working on other stuff, but I'm doing this one-shot kind of based off **_**Her Love Is Their Destruction**_**, from Stefan's pov, since it is his story, or at least that was what it said in the first episode I think. Anyway, thank you for reading and please, tell me if you have any suggestions for me on one-shots like these, it will be much appreciated and I would be glad to write them! :-)**

**Warning: This has a lot of Elena bashing in this, and an unhappy Stelena ending, so if you like Elena, or Stelena don't read this!**

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Julie Plec and L.J Smith, but this story belongs to me.**

He falls in love with Caroline. And, it is amazing. Something he thinks he should have thought of long ago because if he had, maybe the most heart-breaking, miserable past year of his life would never had existed. There is no constant worry that she will fall head-over-heels for Damon, not just for what he did to her when he was human, but because she just _wouldn't._ Some part of her would know it was wrong and she would suppress it and fight it until the end because that is what Caroline does.

She never gives up on anyone, especially herself.

He walks over to her in the Grill, ready for their second date, and as soon as she sees him, she lights up, and he smiles instantly back, because it's impossible not to. He gives her a sweet, yet chaste kiss that makes his stomach swoop and desire race around every inch of his body.

Now all Stefan wishes was that he found her sooner.

Because it's like a light has been shone all over the dark parts of him and his life, making him happier and somehow _lighter. _And that, he realises, is what he should have been looking for long ago. How could he have not seen how beautiful she is? It had occured to him when they first met and became friends, but it hadn't really _hit _him until now.

It was like her light had finally pierced him, and he was loving every second of it. And he would love every second of it forever.

He sits down at the table, arm slung around the back of her chair, and listens to Caroline speaking about the Biology course she was taking, that had originally been a plan to spy on Wes, and finds that he actually _cares_ about everything she says. Down to the every letter. He had never found love like that before, where he didn't want to stop listening to the others voice.

Not even Elena.

His epic-not-so-epic love, who had left him for his brother. He had guessed a long time ago that, on some level deep down, even when he was emerging again, his alter ego the 'ripper' falling away, he knew everything had changed, from the moment he knew Damon was in love with her, that history would repeat itself. The seeds of doubt had been sown in his mind, and Elena's empty promises in the end meant nothing. No matter what she said, Damon had gotten to her, and the worst part was he did it delibrately. Every time he saved Damon's life, he repayed him by kissing, or making advances towards Elena. And it wasn't like she stopped him.

Anger wells up inside him, at the thought of them. Not jealousy, because he is no longer in love with Elena, but he still feels anger because they thought it would be okay to sleep together a day after he'd broken up with her, and he was expected to continue like nothing happened because of a new crisis being thrown at them every day. He wasn't allowed to move on because Elena had her own opinion on who he was doing it with and normally, people tended to agree with her.

That betrayal could never go away, no matter what, because they knew what they were doing, and they did it anyway. They just didn't care to spare his feelings in the process. And so he buried it, and tried to move on, and, despite Elena's critism, he pushed forward with his life.

But Stefan doesn't realise that the trouble with burying your feelings, pressing them to your heart, will eventually cause him to explode. He's a ticking time bomb.

But he has Caroline and he couldn't be more luckier. Elena and Damon could do whatever they wanted, he didn't care, as long as it didn't involve him.

The anger instantly melts away, replaced by a happy, glowing warmth that makes his toes curl as Caroline looks at him like he is the world, and he never wants her to stop, not for anything. An hour later, they leave and as they walk to the door, he catches Elena watching them, doe eyes gazing innocently at him, and he feels nothing but a choking hatred bubbling up inside him that shocks him.

He had never hated anyone but Damon that much, so it is probably fitting that the two he loved the most, he now hates so easily. He _hates _her, for pulling him and his brother apart. _Hates _her for ruining beloved memories, covering them over with those of his _brother _and treating him as a friend, like they were never together.

That sort of hate won't disappear anytime soon, and somehow, Stefan doesn't mind. He just isn't interested, not anymore.

That sort of hate though, that is sure to explode.

It's just a matter of time.

**~X~**

The next time he sees Elena is a few days after that second date with Caroline. She's in the Boarding House, obviously visiting Damon, or perhaps Jeremy and, Stefan suspects, to make him jealous of Damon. He dismisses the thought as soon as it enters his head because Elena was a lot of things, but she would never hurt anyone like that.

But she _had_ hurt him and she had destroyed him, because she had made him promises and he believed she would keep them.

He thinks he hates her just for that.

Elena comes into the living room and pours herself a glass of Damon's special bourbon. She freezes when she sees him, and he briefly wonders if it's because she knows he hates her, or because he's dating her best friend.

"Hey, what's up?" she asks tentatively.

He forces a smile onto his face and replies, "Nothing, just passing through."

He is about to walk out the front door when she speaks again. "Are you okay?"

He silently groans and turns back around. Talking to her was not what he had planned to do today.

"Yeah, fine. Why, is something wrong?"

It's a reflex, asking her that question because he's had to do it for so long now, do it even when he was no longer with her.

"No," she shakes her head, drinking her bourbon. "Still working things out with Damon since we broke up."

Stefan looks at her blankly. Does she want him to say something? Because he's said it again and again, and they still haven't worked things out. It feels like a slap to him because Elena spent so long working out her feelings, choosing a Salvatore, and then splitting up with her chosen one, which to Stefan, really doesn't make sense, and is trying to help them hurt him even more was just a waste of his time. Until Caroline. Now they don't hurt him anymore, but he still feels uncomfortable around them.

Because Stefan never forgave easily.

"Okay, well, he loves you, and you love him, so I'm sure you can figure it out. You've done it before." Stefan says emptily. He has to pick up Caroline and doesn't want to wait around anymore.

Elena frowns at his tone. "Are you sure you're good?"

Stefan feels like banging his head through the wall. He really just wants to leave and see Caroline's radient face.

"Yes, I just have somewhere to be, you know."

"With Caroline?" Elena asks, frowning even more.

_What is with all the questions? _He thinks, both confused and annoyed. "Yeah, uh, is something wrong with that?" he knows he shouldn't have said that, but he is really in a hurry, and just feels like ripping into someone's artery, if she doesn't stop talking anytime soon.

"No, no, sorry. It's just, she's my friend, and I didn't realise that you two had become that close." Elena says quickly, twisting the bottom of her top in what Stefan knows is anxiety. Did she not like him dating Caroline?

"Well, everyone else saw it, according to Bonnie, Lexi did, so I took her advice and here we are." Stefan replies, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's just, I didn't know until Bonnie told me, so I was wondering why Caroline didn't tell me herself." Elena laughs, still twisting her top. The tension between them was growing, and Stefan just gets further confused. Did she not see how complicated this was? That it was awkward because Caroline was friends with his ex-girlfriend? He is slowly losing his temper.

"Well, we used to date, so it might have something to do with that." Stefan opens the door, but Elena keeps talking and the blinding hatred rises up in him again.

"Well, Bonnie mentioned that Caroline said you were uncomfortable with it." Elena speaks louder, as he steps further away. He cringes, reminding himself to not lose it, no matter if he was cross at Bonnie for telling Elena that.

"Well, everytime I've tried to move on in the past, you've come up with your own opinion on it as though you have a say in my choices anymore, so I really didn't think telling you I loved and wanted to date Caroline was a good idea because you might have voiced your thoughts on that and made Caroline feel guilty about it." Stefan snaps, some of his anger and hatred spilling into his voice. Elena must have heard it because she flinches at his harsh words, and looks rather hurt.

"I'm... sorry you feel that way. I never meant to hurt you, just look out for you. As a friend." she mutters, looking intently at the floor.

"Well you didn't, and you made me feel trapped not helped. I needed to move on from you and you wouldn't let me even though you're with my brother. And you didn't ever realise how much that hurt." he lowers his voice, but pushes away the twinge of guilt he feels at her expression. He let go of that a long time ago, and refuses to let himself back in for a world of hurt again, because it gets him nowhere.

She just nods, still looking upset, "I'm sorry, I never wanted that, Stefan, you have to believe me, I never wanted to hurt you, never."

"I know. But knowing that still doesn't take away the pain, because you hurt me anyway. And Caroline helped me with that, with everything that happened between us. She helped me move on." he states firmly. She has to know, before the resentment builds up and explodes, hurting everyone in the process.

Elena now looks on the brink of tears, and Stefan forces himself to look away, refusing to fall. He nods at her, but it is a meaningless gesture, they both know he doesn't really mean it.

"Goodbye Elena."

He finally walks away, for the first time in a long time, away from her.

And it feels good.

**Thanks for reading and please review! :-)**


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